There are limited Graduate Assistantships available, awarded on a competitive basis. Please contact us for more information.

Academic requirements:All students enrolled in the program take 12 credits from the core curriculum, and at least 8 credits from the list of electives. The core, which should be completed in the first year of study, is designed to provide a current overview of the field and techniques. The electives provide additional relevant emphases. Additionally, students will attend a weekly invited seminar series.

Credit Hours

Percent

Core courses (required)

12

37.5

Electives

8

25.0

Research or Internship

12

37.5

Total required for the degree

32

100.0

Program Requirements:

Questions in the examination will evaluate the candidate's understanding of the basic principles of biology and specific aspects of the designated discipline. Questions on research and thesis may relate to points of clarification, analytical procedures, basic biology and systematics of the species studied, possibilities for future research and publication, and areas where research could be improved.

The student's Graduate Advisory Committee will meet to evaluate the student once each year. A student is expected to maintain a grade point average of B or better throughout the course work for the M.S. degree, and to make significant progress in research each semester. No more than 6 credit hours of course work with a grade of C may be used toward the M.S. requirements. Accumulation of more than 6 credit hours of graduate course work with a C grade or below will result in the termination of the student's M.S. program regardless of the grade point average. A terminated student may petition the Graduate Council for readmission based on their individual circumstances.

Required Courses

Prefix & Number

Course Title

Credit Hours

BIOL 574/L

Ecological Genomics

4

BIOL 590

Graduate Seminar

1

BIOL 724/L

Genomic Techniques

2

BIOL 735

Evolutionary Genomics

2

CSC 601

Introduction to Bioinformatics (USD)

3

BIOL 798 or BIOL 794

Graduate Research (Thesis) or Internship

12

Elective Courses in the Program

Mid-tier Courses (8 credit hours)

Prefix & Number

Course Title

Credit Hours

BIOL 544

Microbial Genomics

3

BIOL 710

Population & Quantitative Genetics

3

BIOL 792

Topics: Genomics

2

SCI 588

Biological Applications and Remote Sensing

3

MATH 587

Design of Experiments

3

Remaining Electives (take remaining electives from this list>

Prefix & Number

Course Title

Credit Hours

BIOL 530

Neurobiology

3

BIOL 531

Field Biology

2

BIOL 534/L

Herpetology

4

BIOL 537

Biometry

3

BIOL 560

Evolutionary and Ecological Plant Physiology

2

MATH 581

Probability and Statistics

3

ATM 503

Biogeochemistry (SDSM&T)

3

Based on the thesis, the thesis defense, and the oral examination, the student’s Graduate Advisory Committee will determine satisfactory mastery by an individual student. The committee must include the student's major adviser, at least one other faculty member from the integrative genomics program, and a third member, which could include another faculty from the Integrative Genomics program or another appropriate faculty member from another academic institution, such as SDSMT, or department.